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Or maybe he imagined it, because the next instant Freddie had seated himself beside Chelsea, resting his arm behind her shoulders on the sofa back. Chelsea beamed up at him.

Ellery said, “Okay, now that I have you all together, which one of you comedians took the hatchet I use for chopping kindling?”

Silence. Blank faces all around.

Then Chelsea laughed. “Seriously? With an axe murderer on the loose? That’s just mean, Ellery.”

“I’m not kidding.”

His friends looked at each other and then started laughing and shaking their heads.

“Hey,” Ellery protested. “I’m serious.”

Chelsea rolled her eyes. Freddie glanced around the room. “Okay. Ellery doesn’t think it’s funny, so...”

“Uh oh. Detective Bolton’s on the case,” Flip teased.

Freddie was unamused. Oscar said, “Freddie’s right. We’re a little old for this.”

“Ouch.” Chelsea sighed heavily. “Okay. I’ll play along. When did you first notice the axe was missing, Ellery?”

Lenny was looking at Flip. Flip was looking at Lenny. Ellery knew those looks of old, but, also as of old, he was not sure about what they were silently communicating. They knew something. Or thought they did.

“I noticed when I took Watson out. After we got back from meeting the ferry.”

“Watson, didn’t go to meet the ferry,” Chelsea pointed out.

“Chels,” Freddie murmured.

Chelsea made a face. “Sorry. It’s just—the idea that one ofuswould swipe his hatchet for a joke is a little weird.”

“But not out of character,” Tosh said pointedly.

Chelsea flushed. “The difference is, Tosh,thisisn’t funny.”

“Agreed.”

Tosh and Chelsea glared at each other.

“Okay,” Ellery said quickly. “I don’t want to start a big argument. If you all say you didn’t take it, then I accept your word.”

How was that the wrong thing to say? Yet, Chelsea’s face grew tighter.

Oscar said, “But what does that mean? Where did the hatchet go?”

“I must have mislaid it.”

This got frowns all around. Flip said, “Yeah. No.NowI’m worried.”

Freddie said slowly, “So the hatchet reallyismissing.”

“I wouldn’t make it up,” Ellery said.

Watson, sensing a change in the atmosphere, wriggled out of Tosh’s arms and went to Ellery, pawing at his leg.

Tosh said, “Could it have fallen from wherever and now it’s under the snow?”

“Sure.”